Last Hour of Autumn

An aspen forest near Owl Creek Pass hours before the first snowstorm of the season.

Much of the visual interest and balance in this image comes from its great sense of depth. However, capturing such depth in photographs requires lots of light, and I didn’t find this composition until after sunset. With no accurate way to calculate the long exposure in fading light, I took a long shot, leaving the shutter open until after dark. I resolved to try again in the morning and camped nearby, but the first winter storm of the season blew in within the hour and I woke up to find the area under ten inches of snow.

Terms: Aspens, Autumn, CO - Ouray County, Colorado, Forests, GMUG National Forests, Highlights, National Forest, Public Lands, Uncompahgre National Forest

Image Dimensions: 7510 x 5007

Location Georeference: 38.1636, -107.5809